“While all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu
to Rege-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings. We’ll miss Simon’s
presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family,” Lady Whistleton
announced, breaking the hearts of die-hard Bridgeton fans.
When Netflix introduced this production to us, it was the hottest romance series on the
scene! The story caught our hearts, and we couldn’t help but swoon over the main character,
played by the hunky Rege-Jean Page. And what began as a limited series was shortly confirmed
to return for the second season, leaving fans anxiously waiting for the Duke and Duchess
to grace our screens with another rendezvous. But sadly, the creators of the series had
a different plan, the one that didn’t include Page returning to our screens. The recent
announcement left fans completely devastated, with multiple questions popping: Was he FIRED?
Did he LEAVE? WHY won’t the dreamy actor be returning for the second season?
Lucky for you Rumour Juice has all the answers, so keep watching to find out. And if you want
to stay updated with more juicy celebrity news, all you have to do is click that notification
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The mastermind behind this epic series happens to be Shonda Rhimes’s long-time collaborator.
So it was no surprise when he brought Rhimes on board as a producer. And either than being
a phenomenally acclaimed writer for your favorite binge-worthy series such as Grey’s Anatomy,
Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder, she is also famed for firing actors in a heartbeat.
Could she have something to do with Page not returning to our screens? Is there something
more to the story?
“I don’t put up with bullshit or nasty people,” she told The Hollywood Reporter
“I don’t have time for it.”
And even if they are the main character that everyone loves, like Rege-Jean, she will take
little to no time to find a way to write them off of our screens. And word around Hollywood
is that Rhimes does not put up with actors who mix business with pleasure.
There were some speculations that the gorgeous actor was taken. Page was rumored to be dating
the beautiful Antonia Thomas but the relationship seems to have ended since he has been reported
to now be dating freelance copywriter and soccer player Emily Brown. Could the split
between him and Antonia have been caused by the onscreen romance which Rege-Jean struggled
to give an answer to? When asked if the chemistry was real he simply commented,
“I think that everything you need to know is on camera. All the sparks that flew came
off the beautiful scripts we were handed,” he explained. “So I think that the sparky
words, scripts, and material are more than enough.” And later joked that he and his
dazzling co-star were secretly playing footsie under the table.
Well, you know what they say, “There’s a grain of truth in every joke”. And if
there is a smidge of honesty behind his statement, it could’ve added to his abrupt dismissal.
Could the onscreen romance between him and co-star Phoebe Dynevor have sparked an even
more intense offscreen romance behind closed doors? With SIX weeks of rehearsals to prepare
for all those fiery intimate scenes, it’s hard to believe that nothing happened. And
if the fan speculations are true, it is definitely not something that would fly in Shonda’s
books.
Remember McDreamy?
Patrick Demsey was the male star of the medical practice gem Grey’s Anatomy, and it’s
no secret that most of the series’ success relied on Dempsey, just as his career was
launched by the show.
In a heartfelt post, the show’s writer shared the news of McDreamy’s discontinued journey
in the story. Although the message seemed heartwarming, the true reason was left hidden
in the shadows. Fans speculated that the actor was fired after Shonda found out that he stepped
out of his marriage and was having an affair with an intern.
In addition to that, the star had a long-running feud with the writer, who was tired of his
“diva” behavior.
It seems like Shonda has no regard for actors who don’t respect their spouses or women
in general. And you can ask Columbus Short to confirm that for you.
When the Scandal actor was accused of domestic violence, the show took little to no time
to kill him off, with no hope for his character to ever come back to our screens. Luckily,
Page seems to be a gentleman both on and offscreen.
Meanwhile, the reason given by both the Bridgeton Team and the British-Zimbabwean star himself
has more to do with the original storyline from the book, which goes on to explore Daphne’s
brother’s romantic endeavors in the second installment. Although, like most series, when
fans begin to take a liking to a certain character, production usually pulls all the strings they
can to make things work somehow, unless there were unresolvable matters behind the scenes.
Could the production explanation be a cover-up for something bigger?
It would not be the first time fans have alleged a cover-up story from the Shondaland production.
Tim Daly, another frontman of the much loved Grey’s Anatomy spin-off, Private practice,
was written off before the sixth and final season. Fans were shocked to hear that the
star would not be returning to seal the end of the wonderful journey. And things got worse
when the grounds behind his dismissal seemed suspicious, with Rhimes stating that there
were, quote, “budgetary reasons,” behind firing the actor.
Considering the fact that Taly played a prominent character in the show’s main cast, any payment
concerns could have been settled to keep both the star and the team happy and on good terms.
But the motive behind his exit came across as a cover-up for something unpleasant.
However, with all the new roles Rege-Jean is picking up, budgetary concerns would be
a reasonable explanation. Since his Bridgeton fame, the star has been rumored to be cast
for a number of critically acclaimed films, such as James Bond and Marvel’s Black Panther.
Like most celebs, the actor’s pay rate may have increased to match his new star status,
and perhaps the production just wasn’t able to meet his desires.
Although most fans were devastated by the announcement of the Duke’s short-lived screen
time, those who had immersed themselves in the read may not have been as surprised. Just
as Page wasn’t shocked either. In an elegant post of him as the Duke, riding a horse, the
charming actor shared
“The ride of a lifetime. It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your
Duke.”
However, in interviews, the actor’s emphasis was on the fact that he only signed up for
ONE season. He was under the impression that the show was a limited series. If the only
thing restricting him from agreeing to play in another season is just a contract, couldn’t
those terms and conditions just be settled? Unless both parties couldn’t reach an agreement
behind the scenes.
Whatever the hidden reason behind it may be, we still have not yet recovered from this
terrible news. But at least we can find some sort of solace in the idea that he will be
returning later as the show continues.
“They have that reassurance that we’re going to come out, and we’re going to have
the marriage and the baby.” Page shared.
Hopefully, this is alluding to the fact that there will be season three or that the series
will be a long-running one. And we don’t know about you, but we’re ready to wait
for the oh-so-charming “His Grace” to return to our screens again. In the meantime,
we’ll have to wait and see if the second season's story will distract our attention
away from the missing Duke.
Before we leave, here are some of your favorite actors who made the Shonda Rhimes firing list.
Katheryn Heigl The romantic comedy queen, Katherine Heigl,
was given the boot after she publicly badmouthed the show she was cast in. Following an Emmy
award win for her role in Grey’s Anatomy, the actress rejected the nomination the next
year, saying the material she was given was quote, “not good enough” and that it didn't
allow her to give an academy award winning performance. It goes without saying that the
actress did not return for another season thereafter. To make matters worse, the controversy
tainted her reputation, making it difficult for her to return to our screens. She tried
to make a comeback with shows like State Affairs and Doubt, but both shows failed. It’s safe
to say that Shonda’s word is gold, and what she says goes.
It seems like there was a lot of trouble on the medical series set. What is it about hospitals
and scrubs that rubs people the wrong way?
Isiah Washington This star was shown the door after having
a heated argument with Patrick Dempsey. It’s bad enough to have an altercation with the
longstanding frontman of the show, but what added fuel to the fire was the things that
were said. Washington referred to another cast member, TR Knight, using a homophobic
slur. To make matters worse, Knight had not revealed his sexuality. When the disagreement
surfaced, it put the actor’s sexuality out there against his will.
TR Knight
As though having his personal life made public was not enough, the actor was also written
off the show. Knight said that Shondaland made it hard for the actor to be himself by
asking him to not disclose his sexuality identity for the betterment of the story. Although
he wasn’t directly fired, the star said the production left him no choice. It was
either he left the show to be free, or he denied his sexuality. And the actor chose
freedom.
Well, that’s all we have for you today. Thank you for choosing Rumor Juice, and don’t
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